


why does the sun set, baby?

by junaiiper



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Day At The Beach, F/F, Fluff, M/M, Selectively Mute Link, Underage Drinking, kinda...they just graduated, link lives w/ aryll and his grandma from ww but he's botw link, lots of blushin and blaming it on the sun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-06
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-06-06 06:47:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15189137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junaiiper/pseuds/junaiiper
Summary: Growing up homeschooled, Link never had much of a chance to make friends or socialize. His only (and best) friend, Zelda, constantly tried to make him hang out with her friends from school, but Link constantly refused. He finally agrees to get to know her friends, and tags along on their post-graduation beach trip. As Link comes out of his shell, so do his feelings for a certain red-haired swimmer.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> title is from the song "sun tan" by wallows! PLEASE LISTEN TO IT WHILE READING bc it relates really well to the story. 
> 
> i plan on having this be two or three chapters long, so the next part should be up soon
> 
> enjoy!

“Link, promise me you’ll come with me. Please!” Zelda pleaded to Link over facetime. She had been invited to a weekend retreat to the beach with her cool school friends to celebrate graduating high school, and has been nagging Link to join her. “I promise it’ll be fun!”

“ _I_ _don’t know any of your friends. I’m gonna be sitting around just being a burden to you. You go without me and have fun.”_ Link signed back.

Ever since they were twelve, when Link and Zelda got over their _ew, cooties_ phase and actually became friends, Zelda has been urging Link to get out of his shell and meet some of her friends from school. Being homeschooled for most of his life, Link’s social skills were a little rusty. Zelda was his only friend, and their families were so close that she was basically his sister (not to mention how similar they looked -- the number of times Zelda and Link were asked if they were siblings was insane), so it didn’t count. He was practically hopeless when it came to meeting new people. Hence his resistance to any and all of Zelda’s pleas to get him to meet some new friends.

Zelda scoffed. “Don’t be silly, of course I’m going to introduce you to them! Plus, it’s not like you guys are complete strangers. You saw them at my graduation and they all know who you are. They’re gonna like you, Link. I really want you to come -- I promise you’ll have a good time.”

Link wasn’t buying it. “ _None of them even know how to sign_ . _How am I supposed to get to know them if I can’t communicate anything past vague gestures?_ ”

“That’s not true! Mipha knows a little bit of ASL, I’ve taught her! We can translate to everyone for you.”

Nothing.

“Liiiink, c’mon. I’ll do your laundry for your week. No, two weeks. I’ll do your laundry for the rest of our _lives_ \-- I’m going to be old and graying and hunched over and I’ll still be cleaning your stinky, dirty underwear.”

That got an amused smile from Link. He really couldn’t say no to Zelda. They were best friends, and if it made her happy, he supposed he would go with her. It’s not like he’d have anything better to do during the three days he would’ve hypothetically spent without her. “ _Fine,”_ he agreed reluctantly, getting a gleeful squeal from Zelda, “ _I’m coming over tomorrow to drop off my first batch of clothes_.”

“Oh, yay! Thank you Link! It’ll be so much fun. I’ll text you the details later! Byeeeee!”

Link waved just as the call ended, and closed his laptop.

What did he just get himself into?

-

The day of the trip came quick, and Link was already 20 minutes late. He had stayed up all night worrying about what to pack and how to act and how he should part his hair.

Needless to say, Link was nervous.

He woke up to Zelda’s car honking loudly outside of his house, and practically _jumped_ out of bed, getting dressed, brushing his teeth, and grabbing his stuff for the trip in a record 6 minutes. Already a great start to this weekend.

Link ran out the door, having told his grandma and _real_ sister, Aryll, he’d be leaving early the night before and got his stuff into the trunk of the car before Zelda could reprimand him for being so late.

“Hi, Link!” Mipha greeted the boy as he approached the car. She was sitting in the passenger’s seat, window rolled down, and two of Zelda’s friends were occupying two seats in the back. He recognizes their faces, but not their names. One he easily recognizes as Mipha’s twin brother, due to his dark skin and long, red-brown hair. The other was slightly more lean and shorter than Mipha’s brother, with hair so black it was almost blue, and intricate braids woven into the back of his spiky hair.

When Link opened the door to get in, the black-haired boy gave Link a look as if to say _no way am I moving over for you_ , and turned to look away from him. Well. Link could tell he already didn’t like this guy.

“Hey, you’re Link, right? Come to sit on this side!” Despite taking up a good amount of space in the car already (his knees pushed against the back of the seat in front of him and his head grazed the ceiling) Mipha’s brother -- Link knew it was something with an ‘s’... Simon? Steven? -- moved over into the tiny middle seat, allowing Link to fit his small frame into the already packed car.

Link gave the other teen a smile to say his thanks.

“Took you long enough, sleepyhead,” Zelda scolded Link playful, earning an eye roll from the latecomer. “Guys, this is Link. You already know Mipha, obviously, but this is Revali and her brother Sidon.” _Sidon, that’s it,_ Link thought.

He gave them both a little wave. Sidon grinned in return, and Revali simply gave Link another apathetic look. Why was Zelda friends with him anyway? He appreciated Sidon’s kindness. Link was still reluctant to hold a conversation with any of Zelda’s friends, even Mipha, who he’s spent time with as a third wheel on one of her and Zelda’s dates. The way Sidon smiled at Link with such acceptance made something pang deep in Link’s chest. He ignored it and chose to cast his gaze out of the window.

“You’ll meet Urbosa and Daruk later, they took Urbosa’s car to the beach since we couldn’t all fit in mine,” Zelda said as she pulled out of Link’s driveway.

“ _That’s because your car fits approximately two and a half full-grown adults._ ” Link signed with a smirk.

Zelda scoffed. “What did I say about signing when I’m driving? Keep at it, and you’re going to be the _half_ adult that you’re talking about.” That earned a chuckle from Revali, whose earbuds seemed to be in only to avoid conversation with anyone. Typical.

The conversation eventually died down, mostly turning to the occasional chatter between Zelda and Mipha. Their voices faded out as Link’s eyes slowly fell shut, his head lolling to the side. It was going to be another three hours to the beach house, might as well get some more sleep while he had the chance. 

- 

When Link awoke, it was much brighter, and his head was resting on something soft. It was much more comfortable than the hard, flat surface of the car window he fell asleep on. The radio was playing a soft pop tune, and when Link opened his eyes he could see the sky was perfectly blue.

“Sleep well?” Link startled slightly when Sidon’s smooth voice rang out -- Link, wide awake now, realized he had fallen asleep _on his best friend’s girlfriend’s hot brother’s shoulder and had probably drooled on his shirt and they barely know each other and Link already made it weird and oh god -_

If Link could speak, he would be stammering hard right now, as he lifted his head up and sat up straight, face heating up. “ _Sorry,_ "he signed quickly, before realizing Sidon probably doesn’t know how to sign and he’s making an even bigger fool of himself.

Sidon simply smiled and, much to Link’s surprise, signed back. “ _I_ _t’s okay_.”

The look on Link’s face must’ve shown his shock because Sidon piped up, “Mipha taught us all a bit of ASL in preparation for meeting you.” Ah, makes sense. Link’s heart warmed at the thought of Mipha and Zelda teaching the others how to sign, just so it would be easier to get along.

He really had the best friend.

 -

They arrived at their destination in about forty-five minutes after Link woke up, and he was thankful for that because he had to pee _so badly_. As soon as he got out of the car, he bolted to the outdoor bathroom they had down on the beach.

When he returned, everyone had exited the car and was talking about the rooming situation. Link noticed another car pull up, and two people who he assumed were Daruk and Urbosa were getting their bags out of their car.

“Okay guys, so we have three rooms, each with two beds, but we have a couple of sleeping bags that we brought along,” Zelda said, as the others gathered around her. “Actually, Urbosa, Mipha and I can take one room. Then Mipha and I can sleep in the same bed. Problem solved!”

“Sounds good!” Mipha chimed.

“As long as you two keep it PG I’m fine with that.” Urbosa laughed, causing Mipha and Zelda to share a bashful look, both girls red in the face.

“Alright,” Zelda cleared her throat, “Now, boys...you’ll be in pairs. Any preferences for roommates?”

Daruk, hauling a big bag out of the car, said, “I’m fine with whoever!”

Link nodded as if agreeing, however, he quickly signed to Zelda, “ _Not Revali,"_  turning his back to the said boy so he didn’t get embarrassed. He just didn’t enjoy Revali’s attitude and thought it wouldn’t be enjoyable rooming with him for three days.

“How about...Revali and Daruk, and Link and Sidon? Everyone okay with that?”

A chorus of ‘yes’s came from the three boys, and Link gave Zelda a thumbs up. Rooming with Sidon? Okay. That was fine with Link.

“I guess we’re roomies, then!” Sidon beamed at Link, who nodded and smiled in return. “I’ll take your bag up, Link,” he said, reaching for the two suitcases that were sitting in the gravel pavement. Link immediately protested, flustered, waving his hands around in an attempt to say, _‘No, you don’t have to! I don’t want to be a burden to you!’_. Sidon just smiled, lifting the bags up like they weighed nothing. “Don’t worry about it, my friend! It’s not a hassle.”

“ _Fine,_ _but I owe you one_.”

-

After settling into their rooms, everyone had agreed that they wished to head down to the beach for the day. The rain from earlier had let up, and now that it was just past noon and the sun was out, it was the perfect time to go for a swim.

Link was laying in his bed, watching whatever cartoon was on the TV when his phone dinged, notifying him that Zelda had just texted him.

Z: _get your ass out of your room & let’s go swim _

L: _okayyyyyyyyy gimme 10_

_and stop talking about my ass :/ its like ur obsessed with me or something_

Z: _very funny. meet us down at the beach soon_

Putting down his phone, Link grabbed his bathing suit from his opened suitcase. He stood in front of the TV so he had Sidon’s attention. “ _I_ _’m going to go get dressed_ ,” he signed.

“Okay! I’ll change out here in the meantime.” Sidon responded.

Link retreated into the bathroom and quickly stripped his clothes off, putting on the swim trunks. He hadn’t gone swimming in god knows how long, so they were a little small for him. The last time Link could remember swimming...well, he hadn't even done that. You see, Link couldn’t exactly swim. It’s a little embarrassing, considering Mipha and Sidon are both excellent swimmers, being on the team back at school, and as Zelda has told him before, were some of the best in the state.

It would be fine, though, Link could just sunbathe and get away with not going into the water, as long as no one tried to get him to go surfing or something.

Link put his t-shirt back on, gathered up his clothes and opened the bathroom door, freezing when he saw Sidon standing there, shirtless, just barely having put on his bathing suit.

This was just unfair. Sidon was _ripped_.

“Ready to go?” Chirped Sidon, folding his clothes nicely and placing them in his suitcase. “Oh, it looks like you’re already a little sunburnt.” He chuckled, seeing how red Link’s face was.

Clearing his throat, Link grabbed his essentials for the beach -- sunglasses, sunblock, and a book -- and nodded, and out the door they went.

-

L: _why didn’t u warn me that sidon was hot_

Z: _i was hoping you’d find out yourself ;))_

L: _i walked in on him changing_

_i hate u_

Z: _;) <3 _

-

“Finally, you two arrive!” Daruk laughed, as Link and Sidon joined the group of teens down on the beach. He and Zelda were setting busy up the blankets, chairs, and umbrellas for the others while Mipha helped Revali put sunscreen on his back. Urbosa was lounging on one of the already-standing chairs, scrolling through Spotify on her phone for music to play over the speakers she had brought along.

“Sorry, we had a hard time finding out where you guys were,” Sidon apologized sheepishly.

“Don’t let Link’s chronic tardiness be a bad influence on you, Sidon.” Zelda’s warning was lighthearted, but she wasn’t joking -- Link had a thing for being late, yet he never seemed to admit it was his fault, managing an excuse every time.

From over where he was sitting, Revali piped up, “Yeah, you want to show up an hour early like Zelda does.”

His snarkiness earned a roll of the eyes from Zelda, but Link could tell from the upwards curve of her lips that this is just how Revali was, and it’s understood that he doesn’t truly feel this way. Otherwise, Mipha would be kicking Revali’s ass right now for insulting her girlfriend.

“Alright, kids, enough fighting. Let’s go swim.” Urbosa said, now standing in the semicircle that everyone had created.

Everyone began to make their way to the water, while Link stayed back. He and Zelda shared a knowing look -- she was aware of his distaste for the ocean. Link took a seat in the shade, under the large umbrella, and opened up the book he had brought along, intending on getting a good amount of reading done.

He didn’t go two minutes without being interrupted. “Why aren’t you swimming, Link?” A voice asked from above him. Startled, Link looked up from his book, to see Sidon standing there, already dripping wet as if he had dove into the water at the first chance he had.

The warmth of the sun burned Link’s cheeks as he marked his page and closed the book. He shook his head and looked at the water, signing “ _Can’t swim_."

“You can’t swim?”

Bashful, Link turned away. He really thought it wouldn’t be a big deal if he just stayed back, but of course, Sidon, being far too kind (and observant), had to notice. Link shook his head.

“Well, then I’ll teach you!”

_Absolutely not,_ Link thought, and his gaze burned holes in the sand below him. He’d already suffered the embarrassment of admitting his lackluster skills in the water, no way would he make a fool of himself in an attempt to learn to swim. Especially in front of Sidon.

Sidon must’ve not noticed Link’s hesitation, because he grabbed Link’s arm and pulled him onto his feet, an eager smile on his face. “I’ll start off with the basics, but it’s pretty easy, so you’ll be a natural in no time!”

Protesting seemed pointless at this point, so Link let himself be dragged to the shore. He stepped into the shallow part of the water, letting the seafoam wash over his bare feet. The water was freezing, but it didn’t bother Link -- it cooled the burns he nearly got from walking all the way from the beach house barefoot (which, looking back, was a terrible idea), not to mention he had been laying in the sun for a while, so it was much appreciated to be able to cool off that way.

However, when it came to putting the rest of his body into the icy water, Link hesitated.

“C’mon, Link, what’s holding you back?” Sidon asked, already thigh-deep in the water, as if it didn’t bother him at all.

“ _Cold_ ,” Link had a hesitant look on his face.

“Oh, come on, it’s not that bad.”

Stubbornly, Link shook his head. “ _No way._ ”

“Just a little?”

A pause. Link thought about it and reluctantly took a few steps, so the water reached up to his knees. “ _There_.”

Sidon scoffed, rolling his eyes. “You can do better than that, Link!”

Link stayed exactly where he was.

“Fine,” said Sidon, a sudden mischievous glint in his eyes, “if you don’t get into the water yourself, then I guess I’ll have to force you to.”

“ _What does that mean-_ ” Link begun to sign, but his hands fell when Sidon dove underwater, disappearing from Link’s line of sight.

He couldn’t call out to his newfound friend, so Link walked further into the water, gasping as the cold waves lapped against his bare thighs, searching for Sidon.

Feeling something graze against his foot, Link turned around, looking into the shallow water below him. Nothing. Of course -- how could it be Sidon, if the water was barely two feet deep? Link turned back to face the deep water, spotting Mipha, Zelda, Urbosa, and Daruk playing a game of chicken -- Mipha on Daruk’s shoulders, and Zelda on Urbosa’s. Revali was treading water to the side, seemingly judging the game. It was odd to see him with a smile on his face, laughing.

When Zelda and Urbosa ultimately came out victorious, Mipha being pushed back into the water, Zelda noticed Link and shouted to him, “Link! You finally decided to join us!” A big grin was on her face. She was happy to see Link joining her and her friends in the water, instead of sitting out on the sand.

Link returned the smile, giving a nod. He didn’t bother signing to her since the group of five were much too far away to see the small gestures he gave with his hands.

Zelda seemed to yell something else at Link, a funny look forming on her face, but Link couldn’t make out what she said before he was grabbed by the legs, submerged underwater. Thankfully, he had gotten deep enough into the water where he didn’t hit his head on the ground from a fall like that, but the shock caused the teen to flail around, struggling to reach the surface again.

_This is how I die_ , Link thought, eyes shut tightly, _I’m going to drown in water that’s shallow enough for an eight year old to swim in. Jesus._

Thankfully, a strong pair of hands grabbed Link by the sides and pulled him out of the water. Coughing and gasping for breath, Link rubbed his eyes to rid them of the salt water that had stung them from his sudden submergence.

“Now you’re not cold anymore,” Link looked up to see Sidon grinning, seemingly trying his hardest to contain his laughter. _That asshole_ , Link thought and gave the other boy a hard glare. He raised his arms to sign his thoughts but found that they were trapped by his sides by Sidon’s arms, which held him in a very tight grasp against Sidon’s front. Link looked down, to the side, and quickly back up at Sidon’s _very close_ face, before averting his eyes again. _Fuckfuckfuck._ He attempted to hide his embarrassment, but the dusty red of his cheeks revealed his flustered state. Link’s gaze flickered back to Sidon’s face and he swears he saw Sidon’s eyes quickly look up from Link’s mouth before the two made eye contact.

If he could speak, Link would surely be a stuttering mess right now.

Sidon seemed to notice this, as well, because his eyes widened and he quickly let go, putting his hands on his hips. “Well,” he said, voice unusually high, “uh, sorry if I scared you.”

Link shook his head. “ _It’s okay._ ” he signed, arms now free from Sidon’s grasp.

“So...I got you into the water.”

That smug bastard.

-

As it turns out, Link wasn’t as horrible at swimming as he previously thought. They went to a deeper area, where the water was up to his shoulders, and he managed to tread water pretty well. The actual swimming was quite a challenge for Link -- he was confused as to how to move his arms and legs at the same time and not just flail everywhere, but he was just fine sticking to the classic doggy paddle.  

“You’re doing very well, Link.” Sidon praised Link, as the two made their way back to shore. Link gave Sidon a grin, satisfied with his how the day had went.

“ _T_ _hanks_ ,” he signed, “ _it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would’ve been_.”

Sidon was ecstatic, wrapping Link in a brief hug. “Oh, Link! That makes me so happy!” Link laughed, albeit still not completely used to Sidon’s touchy-feely nature, and smiled back at him.

“Hey, lovebirds,” Urbosa called from the shore, “break it up. Revali’s making dinner now -- get over here!”

The two pulled apart, embarrassed by Urbosa’s assumption that they were doing anything romantic -- they weren’t. They were just friends.

But it’s not like Link would protest if they were a little more than that.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i got this out SUPER quick, i was really excited to write some more so i basically rushed to finish chapter 2! enjoy  
> (also i added two new tags so check those out)

That night, a bonfire was held by the group of friends. Thankfully, the beach they were staying at was owned by Sidon and Mipha’s ridiculously wealthy family, so they wouldn’t have to worry about strangers trying to bother them.

Everyone was crowded around the bonfire on a few lawn chairs they had pulled out of the house’s storage. Mipha was sitting on Zelda’s lap, despite the empty chair waiting for her just to the left of Zelda. Urbosa had brought drinks that she stole from her family’s liquor cabinet, and everyone helped themselves. Even Link, who had never gotten drunk before, so he was taking it easy, nursing one beer at a time. Mipha was already tipsy, due to her small figure, and kind of an affectionate drunk.

Mipha giggled, slinging her arm around Zelda’s shoulders. “You guys,” she babbled, “isn’t it fucked up how the moon changes the ocean? Like, what the hell.”

Revali scoffed, “You’re so drunk right now, Mipha, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Maybe so!” She giggled.

Link found himself becoming more comfortable with this group as the night went on. Although he still wasn’t speaking (not even Zelda has heard him speak more than a couple of words at a time), he became more expressive, his laugh getting louder and his smile getting wider. The casual banter between his friends (they were no longer simply _Zelda’s school friends_ ) felt normal to Link, and he occasionally joined in, signing something that Zelda would end up translating as best she could in her drunken state to the others.

“ _I’m having a lot of fun with you guys tonight._ ” Link signed, hoping Zelda would translate for him.

“Link says,” Zelda started, “that he wants to have fun with a guy tonight.”

Link flushed, waving his hands frantically. “ _No! Zelda! That’s not what I said. I said-”_

“Link has a particular GUY he’d like to have fun with and that guy issssss…” Thankfully, Link was sitting close enough to Zelda to cover her mouth, muffling what she would’ve blurted out to everyone.

He glanced over to Sidon, who had a look on his face that Link couldn’t exactly place.

Link’s face was red enough to be seen even in the dark of the night. Realizing everyone was staring at him, Link pulled his hands away from Zelda and sat back in his seat. “ _Sorry_.” Link signed, bashfully staring down at the ground.

“Geez, Link, calm down.” Zelda quipped.

“Ooooh, Linkie has a crush!” Mipha teased. “Who could it be?”

Sidon suddenly interjected. “Can we change the subject?” He had been oddly quiet all night -- maybe that’s just how he got after a few drinks.

“...Okaaayyy,” Zelda said. She and Mipha continued to chat, so did the others, and Sidon walked over to Link.

“Hey.” He greeted, his usual bold, boisterous grin dimmed to a softer look of  _something_ that Link still couldn’t figure out. Sidon was oddly hard to read.

Link waved as Sidon sat down in the sand next to him, not saying anything. It was a nice moment where the both of them were quiet, staring into the bonfire.

The flames were tall and bright, licking at the sky before quickly disappearing again. The smoke of the burning wood filled the air, mixed with the salty spray of the ocean. Link felt at ease, despite the fuzzy feeling clouding his head, looking over at the water that sparkled under the moonlight. He was really glad he came along on this trip and met everyone.

Link’s gaze fell on Sidon, who was seemingly entranced by the flames in front of him. They lit up his face, making his already-tanned skin glow in the darkness. He was beautiful. Link was especially glad to have met Sidon, who, Link realizes, quickly entrapped his heart.

Sidon, like he felt Link’s stare on the side of his face, looked up at the other boy. “What’s got you so lost in thought?”

Link simply smiled and shook his head. “ _Nothing important_ ,” he signed. “ _I_ _’ll tell you later."_

“Who’s up for a game of never have I ever?” Urbosa yelled, as though her friends weren’t sitting a few feet away from her. “But there’s a catch…it’s the  _dirty version_. And you have to drink if you have done the thing!”

Mipha whooped, obviously excited to play.

“I think I’ll sit this one out,” said Revali, getting a nod from Daruk as well. “I’m tired anyway, so I’m going to head to bed.”

This earned a chorus of boos from the girls, who thought the two were a bunch of party poopers.

“Are you going to play, Link?” Sidon asked, unsure about his decision.

Link shrugged, as if to say _Why not? It could be fun_.

-

The game actually ended up being pretty fun, with Urbosa unsurprisingly ending up being the drunkest out of all of them.

When it was Link’s turn to choose something to say, he hesitated. Thinking for a moment, Link finally came up with something. He signed to Zelda so she could translate.

“He says ‘never have I ever made out with someone in public’.” Zelda giggled, shared a look with Mipha, both of them taking a drink. Urbosa drank as well, to no one's surprise. What  _really_ got Link is when Sidon picked up his can of beer and took a quick drink, trying to be stealthy about it.

“ _Really? Everyone but me?_ ” Link signed, slightly embarrassed.

Mipha laughed, “Oh, don’t worry about it, Link. I’m sure you’ll have your chance soon enough.” She shared a look with Zelda, who smirked.

Confused, Link wondered what exactly that meant. He looked at Sidon, wondering if he had a clue, but simply received an equally confused shrug.

Odd.

 

-

By what was probably 2 am, the game was well and done, with everyone, including Link, now effectively drunk.

Urbosa had turned on her music again, urging the others to dance with her.

“Come on, dance with me!” Sidon called out to Link, holding out a hand. He didn’t know why he was shouting but grabbed Sidon’s hand as he was pulled up to his feet. Sidon pressed Link to his chest and they danced along to the beat, uncoordinated and tripping over each other’s feet, but they both smiled like a couple of idiots.

Link leaned in, laughing because of God knows what.  
  
“Why are you laughing?” Sidon giggled, holding Link tight. Link shrugged, looking up at Sidon. “You’re very silly, Mr. Link...Very, very silly.” Link simply smiled, and placed his head on Sidon’s chest, letting his hands slip down to his lower back. They were quiet, and it was like everything around them disappeared for a moment -- the sounds of Urbosa, Mipha, and Zelda laughing and yelling faded into the background, and Link and Sidon were the only two there on that beach.

The silence was only broken by Sidon’s soft call of Link’s name, and when Link looked up to see what the other teen wanted, a pair of lips came crashing down on his.

Sidon’s hands slid into Link’s hair, undoing the ponytail he’d tied it up in, and Link grabbed Sidon’s hips, pulling him  _closerclosercloser_ until there was no space left between them. Sidon sucked at Link's bottom lip, earning a sigh from the blond. He slid his hands down Link's side and over the smooth skin of his bare stomach. Link shivered.

He could barely pull apart from the other teen but Link had to stop himself because, _fuck,_  the kissing and the alcohol were making his head so foggyand he had no idea what he was doing.

“Link-” Sidon started, confused by the abrupt end to their kiss, but Link let go of him, stepping away. He didn’t know why but felt hot tears welling in his eyes and avoided eye contact with Sidon as he quickly signed a shaky goodbye to Zelda before retreating back to the beach house.

Man, he had really fucked this one up this time.

-

Link couldn’t go back to his room because he knew Sidon would be there and he couldn’t face him right now, not after running away from him like that. He wandered around for a bit before he ended up on the balcony, looking out on the ocean.

He didn’t know what he was thinking, getting close to Sidon like that. It wasn’t like Link to suddenly be wrapped up with someone like that — hell, he’s never even kissed anyone before tonight. It’s not that he didn’t like Sidon (he really did) he just didn’t know if he was prepared for that kind of relationship with someone…

_Oh, what am I saying,_ Link thought, running his hand over his face, _I don’t even know if he likes me that way. He was probably drunk and kissed me because I was the only person there._

He felt on the verge of crying again, but didn’t hold it back this time — no one was there to see him, so there was no reason to keep his walls up.

Tears streamed down his cheeks, blurring his eyesight. As he tried to wipe them away, more would fall, wetting his flushed cheeks.

“Link, is it alright if I join you?” Zelda’s voice rang from the doorway of the balcony. Link must not have heard her open it. She had a soft smile on her face, not one of joy, but one of comfort, and love.

Link nodded as Zelda took him into her arms, and held him tight. She kissed the top of his head and rubbed his back comfortingly. “Hey, it’s okay...let it all out,” She soothed.

Zelda was the only person Link was willing to let see him this way. She was his best friend and had been there for him for everything.

When his parents died, at age six, and Link and Aryll moved in with their Grandmother, Zelda still hiked all the way across town to see him and keep him from being lonely. Despite their physical distance, they grew even closer than that, and when Link stop speaking, Zelda was there for him, quickly learning how to sign so they could still communicate.

After a couple of minutes without either of them speaking, Link calmed his breathing, only a few tears falling from his eyes.

Still not letting go of her friend, Zelda asked, “What happened back there?”

Link wiped at his nose and sniffled. _“We kissed,”_ he signed slowly, “ _and I ran away because I’m the biggest idiot on the planet._ ”

“Oh, Link, don’t say that.”

“ _It’s true!”_ His hand movements were faster, more forceful now. “ _I should’ve stayed and...talked to him or something but I’ve never kissed anyone before and I was scared and we were both drunk._ ”

Zelda gnawed her lip, lost in thought for a moment. “But do you like him?” She asked, eyebrows raised.

Link nodded.

“Do you want to kiss him again?”

He was slower to react this time, but Link knew he wanted something more than just friendship with Sidon, he just didn’t know if he was ready for that. Before tonight he only had one friend, so he wasn’t exactly experienced.

“So go talk to him. Sidon isn’t a bad guy — actually, he’s probably the sweetest, most generous one you’ll ever meet. If you want to go slow, _tell him_. I promise it’ll be worth it. Okay?”

Link inhaled shakily and nodded, going back in to hug Zelda again. When they pulled apart, he was smiling and signed “ _Thank you,”_ before the two of them went back inside.

-

Link probably stood in front of his and Sidon’s room for 20 minutes before he could muster the courage to go inside.

When he stepped into the bedroom, all of the lights were off, and Sidon was laying on his bed, back to the door, probably fast asleep by now. He was pretty wasted, makes sense that he passed out as soon as he got into bed.

Looks like he’d have to wait until tomorrow morning.

Sighing, Link walked to the bathroom and flicked the light on. His reflection in the mirror looked horrible — his hair was messed up, sticking in all directions, and his under-eye circles were accentuated by the dried tears on his cheeks.

Link decided he was too tired for a shower. He simply splashed his face with water and changed into a clean pair of underwear. He left the bathroom, flicking off the light, and collapsed into bed.

He didn’t sleep for another hour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this one's pretty angsty. i promise it'll be resolved soon ! stay tuned
> 
> [tumblr](https://botwlinks.tumblr.com/)


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